As the Trump administration unleashes a barrage of destructive policies, a powerful resistance—led by activists, lawmakers and legal teams—is pushing back in the courts, in the streets and in statehouses across the country.
The last three weeks were chaotic—to put it mildly—as Trump and his administration issued a barrage of destructive executive orders straight out of the Project 2025 playbook (which he tried to distance himself from on the campaign trail); pardoned and released from prison violent Jan. 6 insurrectionists and antiabortion extremists; purged government departments and agencies he perceives as enemies; cut off USAID programs that will result in the deaths of perhaps millions (mostly women and children); suggested he would use military force to invade sovereign countries; and began steps to deport hundreds of thousands of migrants. (Breathe.)
Make no mistake: The pacing is intentional, to make us feel overwhelmed and helpless. But we cannot afford to feel hopeless in a moment like this, when we must fight back.
And is there ever a fight back unfolding.
- Across the country last week, thousands came out to protest at state capitols and congressional offices in all 50 states—yes, red states included.
- Nearly 40 lawsuits have been filed against the Trump administration since Inauguration Day, and early court decisions have blocked most of the administration’s actions.
- The congressional phone system has been overloaded with calls (“jammed to the point of failure”) over the last week “as it absorbs tens of millions of calls responding to the new Washington order,” according to the New York Times.
At Ms., we never doubted there would be a massive resistance—the only question was whether mainstream media would cover it.
In fact, as we report in our most recent print issue, feminist activists and lawmakers have been planning the multi-pronged resistance since before Trump’s inauguration on Jan. 20. We spoke to some of them—from the governors and state attorneys general and members of Congress, to movement leaders, to on-the-ground activists—who are “rolling up their sleeves,” as our cover proclaims.
Contributing editor Carrie Baker reports on the activists and lawmakers who are using state constitutions to protect and expand women’s rights. She also delves into the federal funding front—something that I’m sure has been on many of your minds lately, with the Trump administration announcing sweeping and alarming cuts to federal funding across sectors and departments both at home and overseas.
“In the last Trump administration, we saw the federal government unlawfully weaponize the federal grant process to abruptly undermine federal funding for women’s health programs,” said Democracy Forward’s Skye Perryman, who, as Baker details, was a member of the all-women team of lawyers who successfully challenged those actions to restore the funds. “With these [most recent] executive orders, the Trump-Vance administration is wasting no time in adopting policies that show a callous disregard for women’s lives—seeking to erase protections the Biden administration put in place to protect women’s health and lives, including those of our service members and veterans.”
These early days have been designed to make us feel like we’ve been knocked off our feet. But our resistance has a solid foundation. For every dangerous executive order or policy proposal, there’s a team of lawyers, activists, and lawmakers fighting back—whether it’s in the courts, with lawsuits; or in local communities, with protests and know your rights trainings. We’re far from alone in the battle ahead. It’s up to all of us to join in and roll up our sleeves.
